I’m a Saucy Mama, Are You?

Always on the hunt for delicious sauces and food, one of my all-time favorite lines of sauces, marinades and mustards is Barhyte’s Saucy Mama. Texas produces 1/3 of all the tortillas in the United States — they are a Tex-Mex staple, after all, and since my move back to the Lone Star State, I was on the quest to utilize the almighty tortilla along with wonderful Saucy Mama Sauces and mustards.

With two centuries of tradition behind the Barhyte brand, numerous awards and “Mustard that is truly fit for a king,” how can any recipe go wrong that includes Saucy Mama products?

The winner of Saucy Mama’s 2017 Recipe Contest using Saucy Mama select products will fill in the 4th spot on the SM Team to cook in The World Food Championship in November at Orange Beach, Alabama. I’ve competed 3 years in a row at “WFC” placing 2nd in Dessert Category and 7th in Seafood Category. I think it’s time I tried my hand in the Burger Category this year, if I’m lucky enough to be Saucy along with Merry, Lisa and Heather!

My entry into the Saucy Mama contest is named Tex Mex Quesadilla Burger.

It’s very Saucy, a little Spicy and lot Scrumptious!

With a simple, refreshing homeade Pico de Gallo, roasted peppers, two different kinds of cheese topping the burger, Saucy Mama Hatch Chili Mustard is inside the meat to make the burger moist and flavorful. Saucy Mama Poblano Ranch Dressing is drizzled on top and also used as a dipping sauce to add just the creaminess this outrageous burger deserves!

See those little pieces of crusty cheese on top? That’s just the extra bit of crunch that makes this quesadilla burger fun to eat and delicious. The flour tortilla is covered in cheddar cheese and grilled to crunchy perfection. No kidding, we’ve had these tasty, cheesy, saucy burgers time and time again after they were “born.” I used a cast iron skillet the first time to develop the burger, but I’ve also grilled them outside and used my cast iron skillet on the grill to finalize the quesadilla step in these magical burgers.

Seriously, they are just what you want when you think of a juicy, flavorful and easy-to-make burger. If you want to take a shortcut, don’t feel you have to make your own pico de gallo and roasted peppers. Buy store-bought pico and canned mild green chiles if you’d like. But if you do want to roast your own peppers, it’s sort of fun, and aren’t they pretty while they’re roasting?

After they’re nice and charred, either in the oven or over an open flame on the grill, place them in a large ziplock bag to let them sweat it out. Then the outside skin just comes right off after about 20 minutes. Remove the seeds and give them a rough chop.

Charred

Steamed

Peeled

Seeded

Sliced

Chopped

Perfect for topping your burger and then adding some PepperJack cheese.

Notice these burgers are oval in shape (to fit inside the folded flour tortilla). The only thing needed for seasoning is Saucy Mama Hatch Chile Mustard, some dry steak seasoning and a dash of garlic powder.

When you are ready to make the quesadillas, use the same skillet with all the flavors inside to grill them. See why the patties have to be oval?

Every good, greasy burger needs a refreshing touch, so I created a very simple and fresh Pico de Gallo with roma tomatoes, jalapenos, onion, cilantro, salt and a big splash of lime juice.

fresh romas

hand chopped

red & white onions & lime juice

minced jalapeno

seeds removed

Voila!

The recipe for the burger and all the fixings is below, and here are some fond World Food Championship food moments I hold near and dear to my heart.

To make the Pico de Gallo, in a medium bowl combine tomatoes and onions. Microwave limes 20-30 seconds on high to make juicing easier. Cut limes in half and squeeze the juice over the tomatoes and onions and mix. Add jalapenos peppers, cilantro and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Stir well, cover and refrigerate.

Roast the poblano peppers by preheating the oven to broil, line a baking sheet with foil and placing peppers onto prepared pan on top shelf and broiling 10-15 minutes, turning carefully as they char and blister, making sure to char all sides. Immediately place peppers into a gallon size ziplock bag and seal, allowing peppers to sweat 15-20 minutes. Remove peppers from the bag, remove the stems and peel away outside skin completely. Cut a slit in each pepper lengthwise and remove membranes and seeds. Chop peppers coarsely and place in a medium bowl to use on burgers. If using canned peppers, drain and set aside to use on burgers.

In a large bowl, gently mix together the ground beef and Hatch Chili Mustard until combined. Form 4 equal oval patties about ½-inch thick, being careful not to overwork. Press your thumb lightly into the middle of each patty to make a slight indentation to catch the fat while cooking and keep moist.

To make the seasoning mixture, mix the reserved 1 teaspoon salt, steak seasoning and garlic powder in a small bowl.

Preheat a large cast iron skillet on medium high heat. Place 2 burger patties into hot skillet, indentation side up. Sprinkle tops with a couple of pinches of seasoning mixture. Do not touch patties for 2 minutes. Flip over and sprinkle other side with seasoning mixture. Continue to cook 2-4 minutes, or until medium rare-medium, depending on taste. During last minute of cooking, top each burger with 1 slice of pepperjack cheese and ¼ of the chopped peppers. Remove to a plate and repeat with the remaining 2 burgers.

Remove pan from heat and carefully wipe out excess grease with paper towels, placing pan back on stovetop. Reduce heat to medium. Making one quesadilla at a time, spread 1-2 teaspoons butter on one side of a flour tortilla and place butter-side down into pan. Sprinkle inside of tortilla with ¼ of the shredded cheddar cheese. Place one burger patty on one side of the flour tortilla in pan and fold other side over burger patty. Cook 1-2 minutes, or just until golden brown. Flip over and cook on the other side until golden brown. Remove to serving plate. Continue with each flour tortilla and burger to make 4.

Remove Pico de Gallo from refrigerator. Serve Quesadilla Burgers with Pico de Gallo and Poblano Ranch Dressing either on the side or drizzled on top.

Paula T

About Me

Insurance Girl by day, Contest Cook by night, I like to create new recipes and put up a good fight in the cooking arena, making new friends along the way. I'm a lover of all things orange and am the "Donkey Whisperer." After a recent milestone birthday, I'm dedicating my namesake blog to living a healthier, low fat and low cholesterol life. A late start, but I'm here to prove it's never too late!